In an African country decimated by a civil war, the young Agu (Abraham Attah) lives with his family in a quiet village protected by government forces. As the rebel army approaches, Agu is left behind with his father and brother to join the village's men in mounting a resistance to the rebels. Quickly overtaken by the ruthless soldiers, Agu watches as the remainder of family is butchered. He escapes into the jungle alone but is shortly captured by a band of child soldiers under the direction of a charismatic and imposing Commandant (Idris Elba). The Commandant takes Agu under his wing and breeds him to become a fearless child soldier as the brutal war rages on. Cary Fukunaga directs this grueling, unfiltered war drama.